"...the alarm set up wailing against the screams while the beleeding mass of the little boy was hacked out of the security coil with saws, wire-cutters, choppers, and they carried it- the man, the wife, the hysterical trusted housemaid and the weeping gardener- into the house."
This quote provides an example of irony. The irony is that the devices that were supposed to protect the family actually hurt them. The little boy was badly hurt as a result of all of the parents' precautions. There is also irony in that no one regarded the alarms seriously because they went off so often when there was not a threat. Even without having a problem or attempted intrusion, the parents kept getting more security measures installed. This shows how paranoid they are with their safety. There is also evidence that the parents are hypocritical. It seems like their own and their son's safety is their primary concern, but they do not recognize the threat that the security system poses to him. Even when they are out walking, the parents let the son walk ahead with the dog all alone. If they were as cautious as they make it seem, they would make their son stay near. Perhaps the largest irony in the story overall is that the narrator states that he or she was encouraged to write a children's story. The young boy was emulating the accounts of a child's story. She was pointing out the hazards that can come from children's stories and perhaps a reason why she chooses not to write them.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Bartleby the Scrivener- Herman Melville (Bartleby)
"I would prefer not to." PAGE 653
This phrase was repeated by Bartleby several times throughout the story to the point where it got really annoying. Everytime he was asked to do something, he gave the same response. I started to wonder why he kept saying that. I still have no idea. I think the reason might have something to do with the dead letters mentioned at the end of the story, but I do not know what that connection would be. The pattern I saw was that he would do the things "He preferred not to" on his own, but when he was asked, he would not. Eating for example. He had been eating until he was asked to eat. Then he preferred not to. I think that in the end, he died because of the things that people asked him to do. He never did what people asked so when people asked him to perform things that are necessary for life, he could no longer sustain himself because he preferred not to do them. It seems to me that he acted the way he did out of defiance. In my mind, it seemed like he did not do the things that were asked of him because he did not want to be subordinate or follow orders. Whatever the reason for his behavior, it was annoying and I wish I knew the reason so maybe I could sympathize with him.
This phrase was repeated by Bartleby several times throughout the story to the point where it got really annoying. Everytime he was asked to do something, he gave the same response. I started to wonder why he kept saying that. I still have no idea. I think the reason might have something to do with the dead letters mentioned at the end of the story, but I do not know what that connection would be. The pattern I saw was that he would do the things "He preferred not to" on his own, but when he was asked, he would not. Eating for example. He had been eating until he was asked to eat. Then he preferred not to. I think that in the end, he died because of the things that people asked him to do. He never did what people asked so when people asked him to perform things that are necessary for life, he could no longer sustain himself because he preferred not to do them. It seems to me that he acted the way he did out of defiance. In my mind, it seemed like he did not do the things that were asked of him because he did not want to be subordinate or follow orders. Whatever the reason for his behavior, it was annoying and I wish I knew the reason so maybe I could sympathize with him.
Hunters in the Snow- Tobias Wolff (Kenny)
"Kenny fired. The bullet went in between the dog's eyes." PAGE 192
Kenny as a character really bothered me. He was messing with Tub the whole time but not just small insignificant things. He was pushing the limit each time. He even took it too far at times. He was coming at Tub with the truck rather than pull up next to him. I thought he deserved to be shot. He was starting a pattern and Tub would have been shot next. I agree with what Tub did to protect himself and I am glad that Frank also agreed. Kenny was asking for it because of the way he was acting. Even if he says he was kidding, there is no way to know for sure. Frank tried to stop Kenny before he even shot the dog. Kenny just persisted. Even if the owner had told him to shoot the dog, he should have at least warned his friends. If he would have warned them, they might not have taken him so seriously and he would not have gotten shot. I think the way Tub and Frank treated him after he was shot is reflective of how he treated them before. The fact that they really did not seem concerned makes the reader think that Kenny never showed concern for them either.
Kenny as a character really bothered me. He was messing with Tub the whole time but not just small insignificant things. He was pushing the limit each time. He even took it too far at times. He was coming at Tub with the truck rather than pull up next to him. I thought he deserved to be shot. He was starting a pattern and Tub would have been shot next. I agree with what Tub did to protect himself and I am glad that Frank also agreed. Kenny was asking for it because of the way he was acting. Even if he says he was kidding, there is no way to know for sure. Frank tried to stop Kenny before he even shot the dog. Kenny just persisted. Even if the owner had told him to shoot the dog, he should have at least warned his friends. If he would have warned them, they might not have taken him so seriously and he would not have gotten shot. I think the way Tub and Frank treated him after he was shot is reflective of how he treated them before. The fact that they really did not seem concerned makes the reader think that Kenny never showed concern for them either.
Everyday Use- Alice Walker (dynamic character)
"I did something I never had done before: hugged Maggie to me, then dragged her on into the room, snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero's hands and dumped them into Maggie's lap." PAGE 181
This shows how Mama is a round character. In the beginning she is a pushover. She lets Dee walk all over her. Dee comes in and is not grateful for what her mother has done for her at all. She just lets Dee take stuff that she wants from her house without even asking for it. Mama also seems rough because she says that she could kill a calf, but she does not act like that any more. She now seems quiet and timid. She is more of an observer than an active participant as the events of the story unfold. This changes when Dee decides that she is going to take the quilts. She first starts to say that they are for Maggie. Then she gets more firm in her argument as Dee persists. I am glad she stuck up for Maggie and herself. Dee needed to be put in her place. She used her force and did not back down and I applaud her for that.
This shows how Mama is a round character. In the beginning she is a pushover. She lets Dee walk all over her. Dee comes in and is not grateful for what her mother has done for her at all. She just lets Dee take stuff that she wants from her house without even asking for it. Mama also seems rough because she says that she could kill a calf, but she does not act like that any more. She now seems quiet and timid. She is more of an observer than an active participant as the events of the story unfold. This changes when Dee decides that she is going to take the quilts. She first starts to say that they are for Maggie. Then she gets more firm in her argument as Dee persists. I am glad she stuck up for Maggie and herself. Dee needed to be put in her place. She used her force and did not back down and I applaud her for that.
Bartleby the Scrivener- Hermann Melville (Allusion)
"Rather would I let him live and die here, and then mason up his remains in the wall." PAGE 668
This quote is an allusion to a story we read in Mrs. Miles' class. I am pretty sure it was the Cask of Amontillado but I am not sure. In the Cask of Amontillado, one of the characters is left to die in the catacombs behind a brick wall with nowhere to go. I thought of this as I read this part of Bartleby. I could imagine this man that lived in the building being walled up inside. In this circumstance, the one behind the wall would not be blindsighted as the charachter in the Cask of Amontillado was. The walling up would be less out of anger of a friend and more out of ignorance by Bartleby. I feel sorry for Bartleby that he has no where to go, but at the same time, it might be better for him to leave. If people are talking about him possibly being walled up, even as a joke, I think it is an indication that he is not safe there. Other people are not even the only threat to him. He seems to be a threat to himself; he is causing himself harm.
This quote is an allusion to a story we read in Mrs. Miles' class. I am pretty sure it was the Cask of Amontillado but I am not sure. In the Cask of Amontillado, one of the characters is left to die in the catacombs behind a brick wall with nowhere to go. I thought of this as I read this part of Bartleby. I could imagine this man that lived in the building being walled up inside. In this circumstance, the one behind the wall would not be blindsighted as the charachter in the Cask of Amontillado was. The walling up would be less out of anger of a friend and more out of ignorance by Bartleby. I feel sorry for Bartleby that he has no where to go, but at the same time, it might be better for him to leave. If people are talking about him possibly being walled up, even as a joke, I think it is an indication that he is not safe there. Other people are not even the only threat to him. He seems to be a threat to himself; he is causing himself harm.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
A Rose for Emily- William Faulkner
"When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house, which no one save an old manservant- a combined gardener and cook- had seen in at least ten years." -PAGE 281
This quote gives an overall image and feeling about Miss Emily amongst the townspeople. I am going to attempt to discuss different aspects of the short story that I noticed. First of all, I noticed that the order of the story was out of order. Not only did they start with her death and then start over and lead up to her death, but even some of the middle events seemed out of place. I think this was effective in the sense that it seemed like the story was different segments from several different people because people were always talking about Miss Emily and her lifestyle, but nobody really knew so alot of it was rumors. Another major thing I noticed was that what we learned about Miss Emily was mainly through the other characters telling us. The first person plural point of view gave us a sense of nobody knowing the whole story but rather adding their sections or parts to the whole to make a whole piece. I also noticed that the majority of the story seemed rather negative to me. The descriptions and events seemed dull and dreary to me. There were also numbered sections the story was divided up into which I think was to signify the change in narrator and subject. The different narrators told different parts of Miss Emily's life as they saw and heard it.
This quote gives an overall image and feeling about Miss Emily amongst the townspeople. I am going to attempt to discuss different aspects of the short story that I noticed. First of all, I noticed that the order of the story was out of order. Not only did they start with her death and then start over and lead up to her death, but even some of the middle events seemed out of place. I think this was effective in the sense that it seemed like the story was different segments from several different people because people were always talking about Miss Emily and her lifestyle, but nobody really knew so alot of it was rumors. Another major thing I noticed was that what we learned about Miss Emily was mainly through the other characters telling us. The first person plural point of view gave us a sense of nobody knowing the whole story but rather adding their sections or parts to the whole to make a whole piece. I also noticed that the majority of the story seemed rather negative to me. The descriptions and events seemed dull and dreary to me. There were also numbered sections the story was divided up into which I think was to signify the change in narrator and subject. The different narrators told different parts of Miss Emily's life as they saw and heard it.
How I Met My Husband- Alice Munro
"So I said yes, and I went out with him for two years and he asked me to marry him, and we were engaged a year more while I got my things together, and then we did marry." -PAGE 146
I did not like in this story how the entire thing focused on Edie and Chris. All the waiting and descriptions of Chris and Edie together made the reader (me) wait for them to be together. I kept expecting it to come. When he said he would write I thought that was so romantic and I was anticipated them writing letters and then getting married. I wanted that so bad for Edie because Alice Kelling had been so rude to her about Chris. The fact that she waited by the mailbox for so long for a letter made me think the author was just building up suspense. I was waiting for the happy ending I assumed was coming. When I got to the last paragraph, I was astonished. Really, she's going to marry the mailman? Okay so I mean I guess it's not the idea of the mailman; it's the idea that she barely knew him and the reader barely knew him. The whole story had focused on Chris and then in the last paragraph it mentions the mailman. It is like and then I met this guy and got married. A main event and story within itself told in less than a paragraph. I was very disappointed.
I did not like in this story how the entire thing focused on Edie and Chris. All the waiting and descriptions of Chris and Edie together made the reader (me) wait for them to be together. I kept expecting it to come. When he said he would write I thought that was so romantic and I was anticipated them writing letters and then getting married. I wanted that so bad for Edie because Alice Kelling had been so rude to her about Chris. The fact that she waited by the mailbox for so long for a letter made me think the author was just building up suspense. I was waiting for the happy ending I assumed was coming. When I got to the last paragraph, I was astonished. Really, she's going to marry the mailman? Okay so I mean I guess it's not the idea of the mailman; it's the idea that she barely knew him and the reader barely knew him. The whole story had focused on Chris and then in the last paragraph it mentions the mailman. It is like and then I met this guy and got married. A main event and story within itself told in less than a paragraph. I was very disappointed.
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